Beatus et Ignotus
by FelicisNight
Summary: Post RE5. What do you do when someone turns up at your door, asking for help? What do you do when that someone is your worst enemy?
1. Poker Night

_Raccoon City, 1997  
><em>

It was mid-October in Raccoon City, a mid-western city in Colorado home to around roughly 100,000 people. It was slightly chilly with a high chance of rain, but that didn't stop Claire Redfield from motorcycling around in a black bike skin suit, jean shorts and red vest with the phrase "Let Me Live" on the back. After taking off her helmet, she shook her head. The red-brown hair bouncing free before she pulled it back into a ponytail to save it from frizzing in the humid air. With a sigh she pushed her bangs out of her face and looked at the building in front of her. Raccoon City Police Department. Her older brother, Chris, worked here. It was his birthday tomorrow and she had come to surprise him. Thankfully, his birthday was during the transition period of summer classes and fall classes at her college. So everyone besides the incoming freshmen got a few extra weeks off before classes started again. She had called Chris a few days earlier to regretfully and falsely inform him that she wouldn't be able to make it in for his birthday, successfully fooling him. Rain slowly started to patter down and Claire jogged up the steps and into the department before it got worse. It was spacious, a water fountain right in the middle of the hall, a floor above her, and a high rise ceiling. She walked down the steps, around the fountain, admiring the beautiful statue of a woman, and up the ramp to the receptionist's desk. The older female officer, whom Claire had never seen before, greeted her with a smile. She had soft hazel eyes, and blonde hair. Her bangs, which were graying around the roots, framed her sharp face. She had to have been on the force for a long time.

"How can I help you, dearie?"

"I'm here to see my brother, Christopher Redfield. Uh, here's my I.D" The younger Redfield pulled out her wallet and handed her driver's license over to the woman behind the counter. The woman who she noted to be Officer Burness by her nametag, looked over her license and handed it back over, nodding.

"He's right through that door there, up the stairs and through the hall, you'll see a door with the name S.T.A.R.S written on it." She ran a keycard through the slot beside her computer and Claire heard a faint 'click'.

"Alright, thank you." Claire smiled at the woman and she in return nodded before turning her attention back to her work. Claire followed the directions Officer Burness gave her, even though she already knew the way.

The last time she had come she just tried to go to the office, but found out she couldn't get through the door without having whoever was at the receptionist's desk unlock it. Going through the last door, Claire was greeted with large office. She saw her brother, staring down at the pile of work on his desk, grimacing. She smiled at that. Chris always hated paperwork. She remembered days when he'd come home and procrastinate in attempts to forget the homework he was assigned. Jill Valentine, whom Claire met about two years or so back and had quickly become friends with, sat across from him. Her desk neat and tidy, all her paperwork done Claire assumed. Jill turned and saw Claire, her pale blue eyes widening. Claire quickly lifted a finger to her lips, signaling Valentine to keep quiet. Jill winked and gave a quick thumbs up. Claire took off her boots and quietly slid around on the hardwood floor. She held her breath and bit her lip until she was right behind him, careful to not let her shadow give her away.

"SURPRISE!"

Claire pounced on her brother, laughing like a madman when he gave a yell. She let go of him before they both fell back and he stood, towering over her by a head. He was shaking his head and laughing.

"You little liar! I really believed you when you said you couldn't come. Come here, brat!" Chris bent and wrapped his arms around Claire's waist and hoisted her up over his shoulder, slapping her lightly on the thigh. She was giggling and smacking his butt while he started turning in a circle.

"Let go of me, monkey ears!"

The older Redfield stopped abruptly.

"What was that?"

"You heard me."

"For your sake you should hope I didn't!"

"I'm not scared. Monkey. Ea-"

Chris didn't give her the chance to finish. He started spinning around like a top. Successfully making his sister scream and start pounding at his back with her fists.

"Chriiiiiiiis!" Claire laughed and screamed and hit her brother over and over.

"REDFIELD." Chris stopped as soon as the booming voice hit his ears, almost dropping his still giggling sister. He set Claire down and turned to face his fate, swaying a little from spinning so much. There stood his captain. Albert Wesker. He was a tall man, pale, had slicked back blond hair, and wore black sunglasses perched on his nose. Chris didn't need a sign to see that he was in trouble. He might as well of been holding a poster that said "TOTALLY FUCKED".

"Sir."

_Chris swore he could hear Jill snickering._

"Chris-"

_He was sure that it was Jill hiding her laugh in a cough._

"That pile on your desk is the same size as when I saw it two hours ago."

_Yeah, that was Jill._

"Well.. Ya see-"

"Do you know what I see Chris?" His captain interrupted, a finger raised to silence him.

Chris glanced at his sister who was putting back on her shoes, and biting her lips, trying not to laugh.

_What was so funny?_

"Um, no, sir.. What do you see?"

Wesker was biting his tongue to keep from yelling the obscenities that came to his mind when his officer asked that.

"First off, I see my officer horsing around while his paperwork sits untouched, I see that it's been two hours since that work was given to him, and I see that it's going to be a _really _long night for my officer if he doesn't finish _every. single. paper_. on his desk in the next half hour." With that Wesker turned on his heel and slammed his door.

_Jill wasn't holding back now._

Claire punched her brother on the arm and started laughing. "He hasn't changed much." She had only seen Wesker a few times before, each were when he was scolding her brother.

"O' Captain, My Captain."

"Yeah, Wesker isn't joking, Chris." Chimed in Barry from across the room. "He's been in his office all day. Apparently, Chief Irons gave him loads of work to do over the recent incidents in the city. Been doing it all himself rather than give it to us. Probably thinks we'd mess it all up."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't feel guilty giving it all to Chris." Jill said between laughs. She was wiping her eyes, tears fresh on her cheeks.

Chris solemnly sat back down at his desk with a sigh. After a moment of silence, he picked up his pen and went back to work. Claire stood behind her brother and patted his shoulders, trying to give him at least a little comfort.

She walked over to Jill's desk and sat in the chair she had next to it.

"How have you been, Claire?"

"Pretty good, finished my first year of college. It's odd though, being younger than everyone else."

Chris grumbled at his desk. "That's what you get for being smart and graduating early."

Claire smiled and looked back to Jill who rolled her eyes at her partner.

"He still trying to get you to move back here and take online classes?"

Claire nodded.

"So where is everyone else?" Questioned the younger Redfield, looking around the barren office.

Jill looked around the empty office as well. It was close to 8pm, the setting sun illuminating the office with an orange glow despite the rain clouds which Claire knew were still looming over Raccoon City.

"They finished their paperwork. Just like I did. An _hour _ago. But I carpooled with your brother today. So Barry said he'd take me home when he finished. Which I'm guessing is right now, right Barry?"

"Yep. Just finished right now, I'll go hand this in to Wesker and we'll head off."

"Sounds good."

Chris grumbled in his chair and looked up at his partner.

"Sorry, Jill."

"Just finish your work Redfield." Jill tried to do her best Wesker impersonation, failing with a large smile on her lips.

Chris sighed and focused back on his work.

Claire smiled to herself. She enjoyed times like this, being around friends and good company. She missed her brother. It had been almost a full year since she last saw him. With school being so far away and not having the time to come down, she had jumped for joy when she saw that she had a few weeks off to come and stay with her brother.

Barry emerged from Wesker's office, looking a few shades paler.

Claire was intrigued by Chris' captain. He had to be in his 30's, even though he didn't look it. There was a lot that stood out to Claire. His blond hair slicked from his face, his sunglasses perched on his nose even though he was indoors, his muscled arms tensing when he was reprimanding her brother, his lips in a tight line while her brother stood there like a doofus, his -

"Yoo-hoo, Claire, come back to earth."

Claire shook her head like a bird settling into it's feathers. "Huh, what?"

"You were pretty out for a minute, Kiddo." Chris was looking at her with an eyebrow up, curious.

"Sorry… long ride."

"If you want, Claire, I can take you home also." Barry said grabbing his coat. "I have a rope to tie your bike in the bed of the truck."

"Yeah, you look pretty tired." Jill had put a hand on Claire's cheek. The younger Redfield was used to Jill's maternal side, it was comforting.

Claire just smiled at the both of them.

"Oh, I'm fine, I'm going to wait for my brother." Jill and Barry nodded. With a wave and some quick goodnights, the duo was gone.

Claire stood up and looked around the office. It had changed a bit since she was gone, desks still the same but decorations were now strewn about the office. There were pictures on a shelf and Claire couldn't help but laugh at the formal shot for the S.T.A.R.S alpha and bravo team. Chris and Jill looked so serious kneeling down in front of Wesker and Barry, gun in arms. Then in the fun shot they looked like polar opposites of the other photo. Chris, grinning like an idiot, had his arms around Barry and Joseph, who was winking and had a thumbs up. Jill was standing in between front of him and Barry with her hands up in a "peace" sign. Brad was across from her, kneeling in between Chris and Joseph with his arms up, flexing. They all looked so funny doing their poses.. except for Wesker, who stood off to the side. He looked the exact same as the other picture. As in _all _the other pictures. Didn't he ever smile? Come to think of it, every time she had seen him he was either frowning or had no emotion on his face at all.

"Almost done, Claire."

"Okay." Claire looked back to her brother and nodded. She went back over to his desk and sat in the chair across from him.

She absentmindedly twirled her ponytail around her fingers, watching her brother finish his work. 'Hey, Chris."

"Yeah?"

"What're we doing for your birthday?"

"Oh, Kathy invited us over." Chris looked up at her sister smiling, his right hand twirling his pen around and left scratching the back of his head. "Barry said he'll barbeque."

"Sounds great!" Claire beamed, making her brother chuckle before he focused back on his work. Her brother's pen furiously flew across what looked to be his final paper.

"Alright! I'm done!" Chris stood with a triumphant smile, proud that he finished before Wesker came out and beat the crap out of him. He stood and tapped the bottoms of the papers on his desk, aligning them perfectly. "Just gotta turn these into the captain and then we can head on out." Claire perked up.

_This is too good an opportunity! _"I'll do it."

Chris looked at her, his head cocked to the side.

"Huh?"

"I'll turn it in.. That way I can- apologize for earlier. Plus" she chuckled, "he's less likely to kill a civilian right?"

Her brother mulled this over, nodding slowly.

"Alright, you do that and then I'll go lock up my stuff and I'll meet you at the parking lot entrance. Hurry up though, I don't want you riding in the rain!" He grabbed his jacket and gun before bounding off in what Claire assumed was the direction of the locker rooms. She rolled her eyes at her brother. He wasn't going to let her ride. Claire knew he was going to take her bike and tie it up in the bed of his truck. She'd ridden in much worse than some light rain.. But her brother always had a problem with driving in the rain. Too many accidents happen because of the rain, he'd say. Though, Claire knew he was talking about their parents.

"Well.. Here I go." She grabbed the stack of papers from her brother's desk and walk towards Wesker's office. She knocked on his door. While she waited for him to respond she ran a finger over the name tag on the door. _A. Wesker. _It had been at least a minute and she still got no response._ Maybe he's on the phone. _Claire leaned her ear against the door and heard nothing. She knocked again. After another minute had gone by and still no response, she decided the hell with it and opened the door cautiously. Hugging the papers to her chest, probably crinkling them, she walked in. There he was, in all his handsome glory… asleep on his desk. One arm stretched across the desk, hand hanging over the edge, his head on the other arm curled underneath it. Cautiously, she walked up to him. Claire stifled a giggle at the little dribble that was coming out of his slightly parted mouth. _I suppose I should just leave the pile here. _Trying to not disturb him, she carefully pushed his arm over, making room to set the pile down. She stepped back and went to turn away, but his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She gasped and looked back at the man who grabbed her, the man who was slowly getting up. Claire watched as the man before her sat up, his hand still holding her wrist. He rubbed his eyes, lifting his glasses ever only so much that Claire caught glimpses of bright blue eyes here and there. The captain wiped his mouth with the back of his gloved hand and looked back at her. She couldn't see his eyes but she knew he was staring intently at her.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I- uh, came to turn in my brother's paperwork. And apologize for earlier." The blond seemed to think that over and let go of her wrist. Claire drew back her arm and stepped back some. "You should go home and get some sleep, a bed would be comfier than a desk." She chuckled and decided that she wanted out of the room, _now_. Claire shivered, not from being cold, but from whatever lurked around the man before her.

"Perhaps."

Claire waited a moment to see if he'd say anymore, but seeing as how he didn't, she chuckled awkwardly once more and made her way to the door. "Well, sorry for earlier, goodnight."

"Wait a moment." Claire stopped in her tracks, cursing herself for even offering to turn in her brother's papers.

"Yeah?" She turned around and saw that the man was now standing in front of her. When did he move? And why hadn't she heard him? _He's like a cat!_

"Your name is Claire, correct?" The blond had his arms crossed and was leaning back slightly on his heels.

"Yes."

"Hmm.. Goodnight, Claire." Wesker nodded to her, probably his signal that she could leave now. She once again started to leave, this time getting to the door before something compelled her to stop.

"Are you going to the barbeque tomorrow?" Claire didn't know what possessed her to ask him. She knew he had been invited to every other special occasion that happened, but he never attended, or at least not to the ones she had been present for.

"Maybe."

"Oh.. Well, you should." Claire's heart skipped a beat as he lifted his arm to run a hand through his blond locks. "I hope to see you there." And with that she turned and left his office, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready?" asked Chris as Claire jogged up to his truck with hand raised to block the rain from hitting her face. She rolled her eyes as she saw her motorcycle tied down in the bed of his truck.<p>

"Chris, it's only some light rain."

"I'm not taking any chances, now let's go, I have a show I want to watch."

"Oh ,you mean your soap opera?"

"I don't watch soap operas!"

"Okay, whatever you say, bro." Claire laughed at her brother as he rolled his eyes and climbed into his truck. She followed suit and smiled at him as he started up the truck.

"What're you smiling at?"

"You, doofus.. I missed you."

"I missed you too, kiddo.

* * *

><p>AN: Sooo... There you have it. Aha, um.. I have no clue what to say, honestly. Other than, if you're reading this, thanks for sticking around and reading it fully! I have about 2 more chapters of this story written so they're gonna be up in a day or two once I've finished editing and revising them.<p>

But for now, thank you very much for reading!


	2. Poker Night II

_Raccoon City 1997_

* * *

><p>Unlike yesterday, it was hot and sunny in Raccoon City. So hot and sunny Claire Redfield decided that it would be nice to lounge around by Barry's pool and sunbathe.<em> One thing I do NOT miss about this place, the weather fluxes.<em> Claire thought bitterly to herself, but thankful that she packed a whole variety of clothing.

Barry's pool itself was pretty freezing and Claire refused to even put her feet in the water. She stuck to lying on one of the reclining pool chairs. That was until her brother, who had also decided to lounge in the sun with, came by and picked her up. She flailed and yelled and smacked her brother, but to no avail.

"Chris, don't you do it! I swear, I will slash your tires! I will make sure you get fired! DON'T- _AHHH!_"

_**SPLASH.**_

Claire Redfield temporarily hated her brother.

She came up sputtering and coughing. Her bangs fell in front of her eyes, but she could still barely make out her brother between the gaps, her _buffoon _of a brother, standing before her. Laughing like a madman. Suddenly, he was launched over Claire and into the pool. Claire was confused and frantically pushed her bangs out of her face, also trying to avoid the splash of water her brother made. What she saw was Wesker standing where her brother was, a smug look on his face. He had come up behind her brother and pushed him in. _Maybe he does have a fun side. _Chris came up gasping for air, flailing around in the freezing water. His scene made Claire burst out laughing and forget how cold she herself was. Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. The younger Redfield turned and saw a hand reaching towards her. It was the blond who had just got revenge on her brother for her. She looked up to his now passive face and grabbed his hand. The captain hoisted her out of the water like she weighed nothing.

"Thanks." The man before her simply nodded.

Claire looked at her brother who was climbing out of the pool. He stood, shaking his head, and glared at his captain. Wesker simply raised a brow in return.

"Nice to see you could make it, Wesker."

"It is, after all, your birthday. How could I refuse?" Chris shook his head before lightly pushing his sister, smirking.

"You're lucky he's on your side."

"I don't need anyone on my side, I can take you all by myself!" Her big brother just laughed and walked over to Jill, and Kathy. She heard him say "Give me a hug, Jill!". Claire shook her head at his antics, smiling nonetheless.

Suddenly, she became aware of who she was standing next to, and that she was in a bathing suit next to that person.

"You're shivering."

Claire looked down at herself. So she was.

"Yeah, well.. that water is freezing." Claire shook her head and ran a slightly shaking hand through her hair, pushing her annoying bangs back again. "I'll be fine, the sun will warm me up. Thanks again though, for pushing him in."

"To be honest, I didn't even know he had pushed you in. It just seemed like the perfect opportunity." Wesker smirked and looked at the woman standing in front of him. His glasses shielded his wandering eyes. The captain took the woman before him in, clear alabaster skin, taut stomach contracting as she laughed, thin and muscled thighs covered in goose bumps.

"Really?" Wesker's eyes snapped up to see her smile and giggle with her question. He just nodded back at her. "Well, I'm glad you came, or else I think you'd have been an officer short for a while." Wesker chuckled as Claire glared daggers at her completely oblivious brother. Claire turned back to the blond and noted the case in his hand. "Oh, you brought beer, great!" Claire took the case out of his hands and walked over to where Barry was grilling and set the case down on the table. Wesker followed suit and she turned to him. "You want one?" He nodded and she took out one and popped it open. He took it with a small smile and went to go sit down by the pool. "Barry?" Barry took the beer she handed to him with a smile.

"Food's almost done."

"Okay!" Claire watched her brother as he jogged up to her, taking a few beers.

"You not drinking, Claire?"

"I'm not even 20."

"One beer won't kill you!"

"I'm sorry, are you condoning underage drinking? You call yourself a cop?"

"Bah, 19 21, same difference! Here." He popped off the cap to a beer and held the open bottle out to her.

Claire shook her head, pushing the beer and his hand "Someone has to drive us home tonight."

"Party-pooper."

"Criminal."

Her brother just laughed, shaking his head and drinking the beer she refused. "You always were the goodie two shoes."

"Yeah and look who became the cop. Go bug Jill." said Claire, rolling her eyes and folding her arms.

Chris eyed her carefully.

"And you go put some clothes on, Joseph and Brad have been ogling you and I don't want to be charged with two counts of murder on my birthday." Claire rolled her eyes once more, her thin lips turned upwards.

"I'm a big girl. Besides, they know how protective you are of me."

"Damn straight." Her brother mumbled, taking a swig of his beer. The younger Redfield giggled and lightly pushed the older one.

"If it makes you happy, I'll go change."

"Thanks." Chris smiled sheepishly at her, his free hand reached up to scratch the back of his neck.

"Yeah yeah." Claire said, turning to the house to get dressed.

* * *

><p>She looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and adjusted her shirt. She had changed back into what she had arrived in, a thin button up black sweatshirt over her bikini top, and a pair of faded jean shorts over her bikini bottoms.<p>

Once she was satisfied with her appearance Claire rubbed her eyes and turned to leave. Sighing, the redhead opened the door to the bathroom, not paying attention. Which resulted in her bumping into something hard and warm. She looked up and saw Wesker standing in front of her. One gloved hand was on her hip, steadying her.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Claire said sheepishly, smiling slightly. Wesker took his hand back and simply nodded. _That seems to be his response for everything… _Claire stepped to the left to go around him, he did the same. She stepped to the right, he did the same. It happened once more before she chuckled awkwardly and he set his hands on her sides. He guided her which way to go, resulting in them switching spots. Him in the bathroom, her outside. "Sorry again." She mumbled, trying to focus on anything, but his face, which resulted in her looking at his crotch. She frantically tried to look anywhere else, her crystal blue eyes finally settling on the floor. _Yeah, can't ogle the floor._ Wesker's hands stayed on her sides. She went to back up, but he held on, not tight enough to hurt her, but enough to make her stay put. She looked up at his flawless face and noted that it was coming closer. _Is he going to do what I think he's going to do? _She blinked and her heart skipped a beat as his lips brushed over her cheek.

His warm breath caressed her ear as he spoke, his accent ringing clearly. "Your zipper is down."

And with that he let go of her and closed the door.

Claire stood there, dumbfounded.

She looked down. Right he was.

_Smooth, Claire._ She thought bitterly.

Being the rebellious girl she was, Claire left it down and instead unbuttoned her shorts, letting them stay open to show off her red and white polka dotted bikini bottoms. Her sweater followed suit in being unbuttoned until only one lone button held the fabric together, showing off her scantily covered chest and flat stomach. _I'll give him something to notice! _Her brother could suck it. Right now, she didn't care if she got all the guys' attention. That was her plan! With a huff she stormed out to the backyard and walked to the lawn where the dinner table was set up.

She sat between to her brother and an empty chair. Hoping that someone other than Wesker was going to occupy it. Chris had gotten her a plate and was currently stuffing his face full himself, much to Claire's and Jill's disgust. Claire rolled her eyes and scooted her chair forward, so she was able to reach across the table for everything.

Claire sighed in content and looked to the cook. "Food smells great Barry!" Barry beamed at her and turned his attention back to serving people.

Claire looked down at the food before her. A cheeseburger, baked beans, Kathy's homemade potato salad, and Barry's signature rolls. _Looks delicious. _Claire had just picked up her burger when she noticed that the empty sear next to her wasn't so empty anymore. She turned her head to see who it was and instantly was annoyed by the sight. _Of course. _

Wesker greeted her with a smirk.

"Hello, dear heart."

* * *

><p>It was getting late now, the sun was close to setting and the blue sky was slowly turning orange. Brad and Joseph had just finished setting up a round table beside the pool. Everyone except at the table except Claire and Wesker, who Claire had seen drinking at least 2 beers, was drunk.<p>

And it was time to play poker.

"Alright! Prepare to lose everyone!" Chris boasted, drunk off his ass.

"Are you sure you can even read your cards? _Officer?_" Jill sniggered, causing a chain of laughter to erupt from the table.

"Oh, you think you're so tough Valentine? Alright, one week of paperwork on the table that I win the first hand, right now! Or are you all talk?" Jill's eyes widened, a week of work? Was it really worth it?

Hell yeah.

"Prepare for defeat, Redfield!" Brad, Joseph, Barry, Wesker, Claire, Jill, Chris, Kenneth, and Forest had all squeezed around the round table. Everyone else had decided it was time to head home, everyone else mainly consisting of Bravo Team, who had first shift tomorrow. Only Edward and Rebecca, who had gotten a ride with Edward, remained. They still sat at the dinner table, talking. Soon enough though, they decided to walk over and watch the card game, both silently betting on who was going to win.

"I would like for it to be known that I am going to win right now, so just give up." Jill said as she dealt the cards. (Jill became the polar opposite of herself when she had some alcohol in her system.) Chris had objected, quite loudly, at her being the one to deal the cards but a quick glare from her shut him up. They went around and each of them throwing in what they had. Jill a 5 dollar bill, Chris, and everyone else at the table did the same. But when Claire saw her cards, she smirked and threw in a 10. Chris and Jill looked at her skeptically but their jaws dropped when Wesker threw in a 50.

Once the hand was almost finished, Jill spoke.

"Alright, now that we all have it settled, lay 'em down men!" She glanced to Claire, grinning. "And woman." Jill laid down her cards, confident as soon as she laid eyes on them. "HAH!"

Everyone's eyes landed on a spade flush.

There was a collective groan from around the table.

She turned to Chris, who was silently fuming, and smirked "In your face." She reached towards the pot, fingers wiggling.

Claire smirked, "Not so fast Jillybean, read 'em and weep!" Claire laid down her cards, a 4, 5, 6, 7, and an 8. A straight flush. Jill's jawed dropped, a 'no way' slipped out of her mouth before she grumbled and threw her cards. "I'll just take this~" She went to reach into the pot when a hand landed on her wrist, stopping her.

"It is you who shouldn't be so fast." Wesker's cool, mocking voice made Claire's eye twitch in annoyance. "I believe, I have won."

With a triumphant smirk he laid down his cards, a royal flush.

Chris smacked his head onto the table. He lost 5 bucks, a chance at 100, and on top of that, the chance of getting rid of a weeks worth of paperwork.

Joseph choked on his beer, some of it coming back up and ending up on his shirt.

Kenneth scratched the back of his head, sighing.

Barry yawn and scratched his beard, he wasn't too fazed, all he lost was 5 dollars.

Brad groaned, he hated played this stupid game.

Jill, still grumbling to herself, thought of every offensive word in the book and called her Captain it, not out loud of course. Drinking didn't make her _that _brave.

Claire yanked her hand away from his grasped and sighed. "Fine.."

Wesker reached to the pot, a smirk on his lips. One-hundred dollars in your pocket was enough to make anyone happy.

About 5 minutes later, after everyone was done seething and/or killing Wesker in their head, Kathy came out with a bag of fake poker chips, mainly cause she didn't want her husband blowing away a paycheck cause of a dumb card game.

"Alrighht, let's play some Poker you drunk fools!" Jill cackled and handed out everyone's cards.

* * *

><p>A few hands into the game, Claire almost jumped out of her chair when she felt something on her thigh. As to not cause a scene, she slowly looked down and saw Wesker's fingerless-gloved hand holding her bare thigh firmly. She tried scooting over, but his hand didn't move. The now nervous and apprehensive Redfield stole a glance at the blond next to her and was greeted with a smirk. Her legs were completely under the table, so even Chris couldn't see what was going on, not like his drunk self was paying attention anyway With a small cough she lifted her left leg to set it on top of the other, hoping his hand would fall off in the process. Instead, it slid down, painstakingly slowly. His partially gloved hand glided easily down her skin, giving her goosebumps as she felt his fingers pushing down ever-so slightly into her skin. His hand fell to the inside of her thigh, right at the hem of her shorts. His smirk grew wider as she let out a shaky breath when his index finger started drawing invisible circles on her smooth skin. Claire looked around the table, just wanting someone to see, someone to get him away from her. . Some part of her though, didn't want him to leave, in fact, some part of her wanted him closer.<p>

Some part of her wanted him.

* * *

><p>Crystalline blue eyes scanned the fully predicted scene before her.<p>

A man with a bandana half covering his face sprawled on the floor, a waterfall of spit slowly cascading out the side of his mouth.

A woman hugging a beret to her chest curled up in front of the couch, snoring lightly.

Another man, whimpering to himself and mumbling something that sounded like 'We're going down!"

One more man sprawled across the couch, looking like a rag doll, he held in his arms empty beer bottles. The man clung to them like a child and their toy.

And finally, a man spooning the woman by the couch, his chin nestled in her brown hair. It would've been a sweet sight had he not been snoring loudly, the woman had to have been completely knocked out to not have been woken up by it.

The owner of the crystalline blue eyes groaned loudly. She rubbed her temples and jumped slightly when a heavy hand fell on her shoulders, but having felt that comforting, fatherly hand on her shoulder before, she instantly knew who it was.

"This happens every year, every holiday, every celebration. Is it my fault for expecting a different result? Or theirs for letting it happen over and over?" Barry chuckled and Claire joined him, shaking her head.

"Oh, I really have no clue Barry. Today was great though, thank you."

"Of course. Listen, just let them sleep it off tonight. I'll call you to come get your brother in the morning.. Or well judging by how they look, the afternoon. Do you want me to see you out?" Barry gave a light squeeze on her shoulder.

"Thanks, but I'm fine. You go get some sleep, too." Claire pointed to her brother, a small scowl on her face. "I'll get that lump tomorrow."

Barry laughed, a warm deep sound, it reminded Claire of her father. Slightly saddened by the thought, Claire shook her head. She let out a sigh and waved bye to Barry as he crossed the room to the stairs.

"Goodnight, kid."

"Night, Barry."

* * *

><p>Claire walked out the backdoor, sliding the screen and going to retrieve her purse from the chair she sat on during the card game. The sight that greeted her was not one she wanted. Sitting in her chair, facing outward, her purse right behind, was Wesker. Trying to keep her calm, Claire decided to make nice and converse.<p>

"Shouldn't you be home? I mean, your wife must be worried." Wesker raised his now ungloved left hand. He wiggled his ring finger back and forth.

"I have no wife."

"Girlfriend?"

"That either."

"Pet?"

"No."

"Oh." Claire frowned. _So much for conversation.._ "Well, I'm heading home, if I could just get my purse." Claire walked up to the side of him and went to reach for her purse.

She let out a small yell when she was suddenly between the table and Wesker, her laying down and him leaning over her. His hands were on either side of her, trapping her completely with little hope for escape. The Captain's tall body towered over her smaller lithe frame, and she was quite tall, especially for a woman. Eyes wide, she looked up into the face of the man who had just trapped her. He was smiling back down at her, though in her eyes it looked like a snarl.

"What do you think you're doing?" Claire tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge, never faltering no matter how much she pushed. _Oh my god, he's like a Terminator. _Wesker still smiled, while Claire, in disbelief at his strength frowned.

"Quiet."

"Get off- What? You did not just tell me to be quiet. Even after 20 years, my own brother isn't even able to tell me to be quiet. So don't even think-"

Her sentence was cut short as he captured her lips with his own.

_That's when she woke up._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh yeah, I totally made that into a dream sequence. Clichés for the win. Next chapter is already written so expect it in a day or so.<br>**


	3. Burnt Chicken and Old Foes

_Denver, 2009. Present Day._

* * *

><p>Claire woke up with a gasp and bolted up onto the elbow of one arm. She would've gotten fully up had she not been connected to the person beside her by the hand. Letting go a sigh of relief she wiped her forehead on the back of her free hand and laid back down. The redhead hoped she hadn't disturbed the slumbering form beside her too much. She smiled as the one beside her squeezed her hand unconsciously and scooted closer, whimpering quietly. The blonde sighed contently when Claire kissed her forehead. Her lips still hovering over the skin as she whispered:<p>

"It's okay Jill… I just had a bad dream." Claire frowned slightly. She pulled her face back and put her forehead against Jill's, holding her hand just a bit tighter. _12 years and I think of _that_? He's long gone, and so are those feelings. _The not so young anymore Claire Redfield sighed and closed her eyes, letting Jill's nearness comfort her. Ever since Jill had been saved from Wesker, she would still sometimes have nightmares, like she did last night. It had become almost normal for Claire to wake up to the sound of Jill climbing in her bed, always taking a hold of her hand, and falling asleep beside her. Jill used to sleep with Chris, but that proved to only make her nightmares worse. Sleeping on her own seldom provided comfort, so it was decided that Jill would sleep with Claire, the one person who she could find solace with. Her nightmares didn't just affect her sleeping patterns, they'd tear at her consciousness, until she didn't know if she was awake or sleeping. She had almost tore Chris apart thinking he was a zombie. The first month back home, Jill had hallucinations and terrible migraines, what Rebecca Chambers diagnosed as withdrawals from the P-30 drug she had been injected with for years.

Claire remembered the day she came home, she remembered looking at the woman before her and only seeing a shell of the old Jill Valentine. When Claire first saw her, she almost didn't recognize her. As she gazed into Jill's cold, empty pale-blue eyes, she saw no happiness, no life, no Valentine spark. She remembered crying, crying as she held the woman she didn't know anymore. She remembered laughing when Jill almost crushed her ribs as she held on to her. She remembered whispering in Jill's ear as she wept, each shaking breath a struggle. "Don't let go, please… I don't care" a sob "I don't care if you hurt me, just don't let go." And Jill didn't. She held on for close to twenty minutes, until Chris had to break them up.

That had been half a year ago. And for once, the Redfield household didn't have to ask Santa for any miracles this Christmas. Wesker was gone for good, Tricell had fallen, _U_mbre_ll_a was only a dark memory, the BSAA was going strong, the UROBOROS virus hadn't been heard of in months, and everyone was home for the holidays. 'Home' being the new 'Redfield Estate', a _small _present from the president and the BSAA. Small being that the place could probably hold a whole town.

* * *

><p><em>Claire had started crying from laughing so hard, and Jill joined her. <em>

_Chris didn't see what was so to laugh about._

"_What's so funny?"_

_Jill shook her head, wiping her eyes. "Chris… Us? Mansion? MANSION. US."_

"_I guess we do have sort of a bad history with mansions.."_

"_Bad is an understatement, Chris. We're cursed."_

"_Well, we don't have to worry anymore. For the first time in a long time, we're all safe."_

* * *

><p>Claire smiled at the memory. It didn't take them long to move into the mansion. Claire finished college and gotten her Master's degree and her job with Terra Save had given her a 3 month suspension for breaking into another old Umbrella Facility while in Africa. So she didn't have much, Chris never had much to begin with since he had been going from place to place for years, and Jill lost most of what she had. After they had moved in, it wasn't long before others asked to move in as well. Soon, it ended up as though a small community moved in, and there were <em>still <em>unoccupied rooms. It had taken Claire almost two months to memorize the landscape of the house, but now, she knew every single nook and cranny, a helpful asset when it comes to hide and seek. Chris, Jill and Claire all had master bedrooms on the third floor. Claire almost cried, her bathroom was just as big as her whole dorm room at college had been. Her favorite thing about the mansion was that it was never quiet. There was always the sounds of laughter, or people yelling at the TV when their favorite team was losing, or sounds of people busy in the kitchen.

Barry and his wife were the first to move in, Chris had made sure of it. Rebecca and her new husband Billy followed suit. Chris had heard of Billy and was skeptical of him at first, remembering that he was a wanted criminal, but when he heard how he and Rebecca fought together and soon enough they became as close as brothers. A few of Jill and Chris' BSAA friends, like the ever so beautiful Jessica Sherawat and her partner Parker Luciani, who moved in with their families too. Carlos Oliveira who had gone into hiding after the Raccoon City incident was recruited by the BSAA and soon asked to also live in the estate. Jill was the only one to object, saying "I don't want that narcissist under the same roof as me!" But since Chris knew that Carlos saved his partners life, the least he could do was give him a place to stay. Even Leon S. Kennedy had a room, though he seldom stayed, for he was still an agent for the Secret Service. Claire had called him last week, and he said he would try to come down. Claire didn't get her hopes up though, she loved Leon, but he wasn't the easiest to get a hold of.

The sun was rising, Claire could tell by the way her room was slowly being enveloped with an orange glow. Sighing quietly, she closed her eyes, trying to get back the rest that was taken from her by the dream.

* * *

><p>"Claire?"<p>

Claire's eyes opened. She pulled her face back from the one in front of her and started rubbing her eyes with a free hand. "Yes?"

"It's Christmas Eve." Blue met blue and Claire scooted back some so she could see Jill clearer.

Claire smiled. "So it is."

Jill let go of Claire's hand and turned over for a moment. When she turned back, she had a small frown.

"What is it?" Claire asked, confused by Jill's sudden change in mood.

"It's 5 o'clock."

"What?" Claire bolted up. Frantically she pushed her bangs back, grabbed the band from her wrist and threw her hair back into a ponytail. "There's nooo way we slept that long."

Jill followed suit, running her fingers through her long pale blonde hair. "I'm sorry, I should've set the alarm." Claire sent a smile towards Jill.

"Nah, we probably haven't missed much!"

* * *

><p>"What. Happened."<p>

"Uh.. Whaddya mean?"

Chris Redfield stood beside the blackened stove and cabinets, an apron with the words "Kiss The Chef" adorning his muscular body.

All he wanted to do was cook a chicken.

Why was that so hard?

"Chris, you know you're not allowed to cook in the kitchen!"

"I read the directions! It didn't seem _too _hard… I just plopped it in the oven and then went to go play some video games with Billy and Leon and… then the alarm went off..."

"And _nobody_ heard it? The living room is five feet away! There is only a door and three feet of wall and insulation separating it!"

Claire and Jill looked incredulously at Billy and Leon who were against the counters on the other side of Chris. They shuffled uncomfortably under the weighted gaze of their piercing blue eyes.

"You guys slept through it too!" Chris swung and pointed the spatula in his hand at Claire accusingly. "You guys have been asleep for over twelve hours! At least _I_ tried to make us all dinner and do something productive!" He wove the spatula in a circle like a fencer. Jabbing at the air in front of them. "So, don't go blaming me."

"Our room is on the third floor!" Claire threw out her arm and pointed back at him. "All three of you were five feet away. FIVE. Jesus, Christopher. It is Christmas Eve! Do you know how much of a pain in the ass it's gonna be at the stores?"

"I know, I know. We're gonna go right now an-"

"No, no," Claire interrupted. "You guys just clean up here and I'll go to the stores. Might as well get some grocery shopping and errands done while I'm out there." Claire sighed and rubbed her temples. "So while I'm getting ready, just write a list of everything we need. Okay?"

Chris nodded. "Sounds fine."

"Just make sure this place is cleaned up by the time I get back, I am not having our first real Christmas together ruined." Chris gave her a salute and she couldn't help but smile. With a huff she walked out of the kitchen. Jill followed suit, shaking her head.

"Your fiancé is a real pain in my ass."

"Your brother is a real idiot."

Both women burst out laughing. Once they had calmed down, Jill said her goodbye to Claire, and she went back upstairs.

Claire had just finished putting on her coat, scarf, and boots, and jumped as a pair of arms enveloped her. Knowing only one person in the world who had the guts to do that, she leaned back into the owner of the arms around her with a sigh full of content.

"I'm glad you made it, Leon." Leon bent his neck down, pressed his lips against Claire's neck, and nuzzled the side of her face. She giggled and turned in his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. She pulled herself up and kissed him. He sighed into the kiss and pulled her closer, their bodies melding together. He pulled back and smirked when she groaned in complaint.

"I'm glad I came too."

"When did you get here?" Claire's fingers ran idly through his silk brown hair as she tilted her head in confusion.

"The early morning, probably around 4. The sun wasn't even close to being up. I was going to surprise you and wake up next to you, but someone already beat me to it." He mimicked her tilted head and smirked. "You know, most guys would take advantage and not hesitate to jump into bed with two beautiful women." The redhead in his arms shook her head, smiling.

"Well, aren't you a good boy?" She craned her neck up slightly -he wasn't much taller than her but he still had a good four inches on her- and stopped just before her pale lips hit his.

"A good boy who should be rewarded." His breath was burning hot against her lips, and she subconsciously pressed tighter against him.

"A good boy with horrible hearing." She kissed his lips as quickly as possible, for fear that if she did more than that she wouldn't have been able to walk away. Claire pulled out of Leon's grasp and walked towards the front door. She didn't get very far before Leon grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"That wasn't my fault. I couldn't even hear myself think with how loud they had the volume up."

"Oh really?" Claire wasn't buying it.

"Yes really. Now give me a proper kiss goodbye." Leon smirked at her and pulled her closer by her scarf.

"Oh, Mr. Kennedy, you're so demanding."

"I think I get to be after not seeing you for almost half a year." Suddenly the mood changed, he had a melancholic look when he said that. Claire knew he was upset with himself, that he never had time to see her much. "I'm sorry, Claire.." His grip loosened on her scarf and he avoided her gaze. Claire wouldn't have it, she told him countless times that it didn't matter how long he was gone, as long as he always came back.

"Leon.." No response.

She put both hands on still freshly shaven feeling cheeks and forced him to look at her.

"Leon." She let her right hand fall down to his neck and her thumb began to caress his jaw. "How long have we been together?" She asked in a hushed voice.

Leon furrowed his brows at her question. "Three years. Four in April."

Claire nodded and pulled his head closer, their foreheads touching. "Like you said, we both chose our paths. Four years of us being apart more than together, and I'm still yours. No matter where it takes us, I'm still going to be yours. How many times am I going to have to say it before it gets through your thick skull, huh? Or should I just start beating it into you?" Her hand went up to knock playfully against the side of his head. Claire smiled as he closed the distance between their lips and kissed her. She pulled away, letting her fingers run across his neck longingly. "Now, you go and help clean up." He pulled her back for a few more quick kisses before walking her to the door. They smiled at each other before he opened the door, snowflakes slowly floating in with help of the wind.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

And with that, he closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>The supermarket wasn't as crowded as Claire had expected it to be.<p>

It was _twice_ as crowded.

"Damn." The Redfield sighed as she waited for the blue minivan in front of her to pull out of its parking spot. Her biker-gloved fingers drummed against the steering wheel to keep from honking.. again.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed as a red Corvette skidded around the corner, cutting her and three other annoyed patrons off, and effectively taking the parking spot Claire had been waiting for. "What the hell?" Her palm slammed against the horn. That crazy ass driver could've done some serious damage, especially with the snow covered roads. Claire thought it sad that she wasn't surprised to see a woman in a black strapless dress, handbag under one arm, and phone against her ear get out of the car. As she walked past Claire, who red and fuming, she blew a kiss. The redhead appropriately responded by flipping the woman off.

After what felt like twenty minutes of driving around Claire finally found a car leaving. _That's fancy. _Claire thought as she curiously watched the black Bentley Continental GT back out. As it pulled out she got a small glimpse of the driver through the cars tinted windows. They were male, or that's what Claire thought by their broad shouldered silhouette.

Claire wanted nothing more than to stop that car and just hug whoever was driving.

"I hate holiday shopping," she muttered "Such a pain in the ass." In fact, Claire hated shopping in general.

The Redfield parked and hopped out of the car and onto the snow covered ground, pulling her scarf over her mouth to protect her lungs from the chilly air she trekked through the maze of cars and up to the supermarket.

Claire couldn't help but shiver at the feeling she kept getting as she grudgingly walked among the narrow aisles. A feeling that something was close behind her. Claire just shrugged it off. After all, the aisles were so crowded someone usually _was _close behind her. That didn't stop her from flinching every time she saw a shadow in the corner of her eye. As the Redfield went to the surprisingly empty wine aisle, she set her hand cart down on the tile and sighed into her hand. "Stop being so paranoid, Claire."

She grabbed the case of beer and a few wine bottles and set them carefully in the almost full cart. She was definitely gonna make Chris pay her back double. Leaning on the cart, she took a the pen out, and crossed out the last items on the crumpled list in her hand.

With a resigned sigh she left the empty aisle and out to the checkout area, only to be greeted with an unpleasant sight. Every single cashier checkout line had at least four people waiting in it. Even the self checkout. The Redfield groaned and face palmed. _I hate you Christopher._ She was pulled out of her thoughts of killing her brother when someone bumped roughly into her shoulder from behind. Annoyed, Claire turned her head to yell at the person and was greeted by the face of she had long forgotten.

"Pardon me." Said a smirking Albert Wesker, dressed in jeans and a black tee, looking as much a normal human being as a psychotic tyrant could. Claire's mouth dropped. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, and she almost didn't when he kept walking through the crowd and, in the blink of an eye, was gone.

The now frantic Claire Redfield got on her tiptoes, and even started hopping, to try and see over the large mass of people. After a minute of searching, all seemed pointless and she turned and slammed her palms in the cart's handle, immune to the pain.

_FUCK_.

* * *

><p>The sound of the large front door slamming made Chris Redfield bring his head up.<p>

While it was still in the oven.

Groaning, the brunette rubbed the back of his head after he took off the neon yellow gloves he had been wearing to clean the kitchen of the atomic mess he made. He spotted his sister walking into the room carrying plastic shopping bags up to her elbows on both arms. By the looks of her, she was completely pissed off. He thought that strange, she rarely got that mad. Then again, he did make explode dinner, destroy the kitchen, and make her go shopping in a popular area on Christmas Eve. With a sigh he got off the floor and went to remove the groceries from the bags she had set down on the counter.

"Hey, how was shopp-" Chris' sentence was cut short by his sister's wild cerulean eyes.

"Fine."

Chris pulled out the can of peaches and started finger the tab. "You okay?"

"Just peachy," was her clipped response. "Call me when you're finished. Or just have someone else start the chicken." Her eyebrows narrowed and Chris almost shivered. "Just.." Her hand came up to rub her temple and she started to walk out the kitchen. "Don't cook."

Chris shook his head and thought it best to just let his sister be.

* * *

><p>Claire Redfield could <em>not<em> believe it.

"BULLSHIT!" She yelled as she dug in her pant's pocket and threw her keys to the floor of her room in rage. "It's not possible!" With a frustrated cry, she sat on the edge of her bed, not even caring when she slipped off it on onto the hardwood floor. _He's dead. He's _completely_ dead. Two rockets hit his fucking _face_! Nobody could survive that. _NOBODY. _It's not possible. _Claire put her head in her hands.

She had seen the impossible, though. Zombies weren't possible.. Before 1998, they'd just been horror stories to scare people in the dark

She had seen people she knew turn into to those creatures. The line between possible and impossible was blurred for Claire, almost nonexistent.

_Her hands nestled into her jacket pockets as she hugged herself._

She had seen horrible things.

_In her right pocket Claire felt something that hadn't been there before._

And as she pulled out a small folded card from her jacket pocket with _'Tomorrow. City Park on 17th Ave. 5am.' _written neatly on it, she realized her fear.

She had seen Albert Wesker.. alive.

* * *

><p>A few days the author says... Ahaha. Well. Never listen to me when I talk about release dates. So. Expect the next chapter within a week or so.<p> 


	4. Merry Christmas?

_Denver, Christmas 2009. Present day._

Cerulean eyes scanned the entrance hall from between the poles at the top of the first floor stairs like a hawk, no errors could be afforded this morning. The hall was empty, cool, and enveloped with a soft, blue light from the far away sun. It seemed easy enough to get to the front door. Not much that could go wrong Claire figured. Everyone would still be asleep, the weekly staff didn't arrive until eight, and the dogs were put out for the night. Claire had given a sigh of relief, getting out of her bedroom had been tough enough. Leon stirred every single time she made a move, usually he was a heavy sleeper. It would've been worse had it been Jill she was sleeping beside. Jill, thankfully, had said she felt fine enough to sleep on her own, a Christmas miracle she said. Walking past Chris' room had also been difficult, the floorboards creaked at her every step. Though she didn't worry much since his constant snoring could be heard through his door. The second floor stairs would've been no better, but thankfully the rail made no sound as Claire slid down it. When she stalked around the corner to the first floor hall, she almost had a heart attack. One of the doors opened and Billy walked out, half dressed and half asleep. He wasn't paying much attention as he walked across the hall to the restroom, but Claire still hid in the corner like she was a criminal.

This was _not_ how Christmas was supposed to go.

She wrapped her old and tattered Raccoon High scarf tighter around herself and began her descent down the stairs. Her heart was racing, and her head was pounding. She didn't know why she was even going. Fear? Curiosity?

**"Curiosity killed the cat, y'know?" **Voiced her inner-reasoning.

_Good thing I'm not a cat._

Claire reached the front door and made sure she had her keys since, in her fit of rage the other night, she had broken the chain to them. That now became her alibi if she was caught sneaking out.

_Sneaking out of my own home to go see a psycho, great._ She yawned into her hand and quietly shut the door behind her, silently thanking Billy for fixing the horrible creak the door hinges used to have.

It was chilly out, but then again, it was the early morning and the sun was still about an hour or two away from rising. _Who the hell asks someone to meet them at 5 in the morning? Oh right, a __**psychopath**__! _With a scoff, Claire trekked over to the garage and contemplated on what to take. She decided on taking her car instead of her bike. The bike would make too much noise starting up. Plus, it was pretty damn cold and her car would provide much more warmth. She unlocked white Jaguar XF, another 'gift' from the government, manually rather than hear it beep open. One can never be too cautious, she reasoned.

Sighing, she got in the car.

And she sat there.

And sat that.

And she sat some there some more.

Her hand never once reached up to put the key in the ignition.

She let out a frustrated cry and put her forehead to the steering wheel, fighting with herself. _What if it's a trap? Then again… it's not like he couldn't find some other way to trap me. _She didn't have much choice in the matter of going or not it seemed.

Tears of frustration welled at her eyes and the redhead quickly tried to compose herself. She failed miserably as the tears flowed freely down her face. _Look at me.. _She scoffed and sniffled, as if she could suck up all the pride that she just lost.

_To Hell with it._

With a loud sound that seemed to be a mix of a yawn and a sigh, she started the car, and drove off.

To meet with the devil himself.

* * *

><p><em>Raccoon City, Christmas, 1997<em>

_"You know, if my brother catches us, he'll kil-," The redhead never got to finish her sentence, for she was pushed harder against the wall and silenced by the lips of the man in front of her._

_She didn't mind._

_His gloved hands explored every inch of her slowly becoming unclothed body, lips only leaving hers once to growl out, "You say that as if I care." He chuckled darkly when she slid her hand from his back to tug on his hair. He bit down on her lip, eliciting a groan from the woman. "Don't test me." His threat was fully meant. It always was._

_But who would Claire Redfield be if she followed the rules?_

* * *

><p>The park was empty, except for maybe a few of the early morning joggers. <em>They're crazy, it's freezing out here. Plus, it's Christmas! <em>Claire thought bitterly. She had never really been to the park long enough to know where everything was, she had only passed by it a few times while driving by.

The note hadn't specified where to meet, so Claire figured that if he wanted to meet with her so badly, he could find her. _It's not like he can't just sniff me out like a bloodhound... That psycho._ She walked along a snow-laden path, head turning left and right to see if she could find him, even though she'd be perfectly okay with never finding him.

Instead of Wesker, she spotted a swing set._ Oh what the heck.._ With what almost looked like a smile on her face she walked over to the swing and sat on it, memories of her with her brother playing through her head. She remembered telling him to push her higher and higher until she could 'reach heaven'. One memory made her laugh. Her brother had decided that he wanted to jump off, and he completely missed the pile of leaves that had been set up for him. That night she spent over an hour cleaning off his hands and knees and used up their whole supply of bandages.

Lightly pushing off the ground she went back and let herself swing forward. The soft creak of the metal was oddly comforting in the cold, winter, morning. It wasn't as dark as it had been when she left, but the sun still wasn't close to rising. Claire decided that if Wesker didn't show up before five-oh-one, she was leaving. He's the one who wanted to meet. He doesn't get to be late.

She let her head fall back, limp, as she tried to work out how she was going to explain everything to her brother. Some part of her didn't even want to. Some part of her wished that she was just going crazy, that Wesker really was dead and gone inside a volcano, that the note was a figment of her imagination. She was fooling herself though, a bigger part of her actually wished he was alive, just to prove that she wasn't crazy and wasn't hallucinating.

She just wanted all of it to go away.

Slowly, Claire stopped swinging and just sat there with her head back, deep in thought.

Albert Wesker looked down curiously at Claire Redfield from behind and, for a moment, even thought she was asleep. He cleared his throat, but the redhead was too deep in thought to hear him. He even tried calling her name, still he earned no response. Seeing no other option, he raised a gloved hand to push her bangs away from her eyes. The moment the leather of his glove hit her forehead she shot up and smacked his hand away. The sound of the swings aged creak and her labored breaths cut through the air.

"Hello, dear heart." Wesker tilted his head in acknowledgement and smirked. Oh, how Claire wished she could just smack that look right off his smug face. She looked him up and down, over and over, focusing on his face. Her eyes searched for some explanation, something that would tell her he wasn't real, that she was just imagining him. He lifted a brow, waiting for an explanation to her staring.

"You're really alive.." Came her late response.

"Yes, it would appear so," he drawled out. His smirk widened and he leant against one of the swing posts.

"Chris and Sheva killed you though.." Claire grew rigid at the thought of her brother.

Her idiot brother.. Her brother who was home fast asleep beside his fiancé on Christmas morning while his sister was chatting with his worst enemy, clueless.

Always clueless..

* * *

><p><em>Racoon City 1997<em>

_"Hey, Claire."_

"_Claire?"_

"_Claire~"_

"_CLAIRE!"_

"_Huh?" Claire put the book she had been staring into down and turned to her brother._

"_You've been spaced out all day." Her brother raised his brows and came over to her. He put the back of his hand against her forehead and feigned horror. "You sure you're okay?" _

_Claire gave a shaky laugh while she pushed his hand away and stood up. "Yeah, of course, doofus." Chris laughed and gave her a small shove._

"_Anyway, I asked if you were gonna come to the diner with us." _

"_Oh.. Um, who's gonna be there?" Claire desperately hoped that Chris' Captain wasn't on the list of people going to be there. After the other night when he forced himself upon her, she didn't really have such happy thoughts towards him. She bet that he didn't either after she had kneed him where it hurt most._

_Chris gave her a look. "Why? Are you afraid to be seen in public with the po-po?"_

_Claire rolled her eyes. "Yeah, totally. You guys are scaring away my potential deals." She playfully shoved her brother out of her way and went to go upstairs. "Yeah, I'll go, just let me change."_

_Sally's was a popular diner in Raccoon City. It had a great atmosphere, was located in a populated part of the city, and had some of the best burgers. It was one of the biggest hangouts for the RPD. Officers could be seen there everyday. Including RPD's very own STARS team._

"_Over here!" Claire's head turned to the familiar voice and saw Jill Valentine waving her hand. Chris smiled and walked towards the group. Claire followed, her eyes squinting and surveying who was at the booth they were walking to. No sign of Wesker. She was relieved at that. Very relieved._

"_Hey Jill." Chris nodded to his partner and promptly pushed her over so he could sit in the booth, causing her and Frost to voice their annoyance. Claire, on the other hand, waited for Brad and Barry to scoot over, giving her a place to sit._

_The strawberry shake Claire had ordered made her more than glad she had decided to join her brother._

_All was going well._

_Until…_

"_Hey Cap!" Cut her brother's voice over Barry and Brad argument about last night's football game._

"_Hey Cap'n!" Barry bellowed while Claire tried to sink deeper into the booth. Her mind was racing. She needed to get out of there, fast."Excuse me." She said hastily as she almost fell out of the booth and quickly walked off to the restroom, but not before brushing shoulders with the reason for her departure._

_The hallway to the bathroom was small and cramped, making Claire wonder how a person was even supposed to be able to walk through there comfortably. She pushed the women's bathroom door open and listened for the sound of anyone else. When she made sure no one else was in the room she locked the door and slumped against it. Her thoughts were going a mile a minute. Of course he had to show up. Of _freaking _course. Claire looked around the bathroom, there was a window, a relatively small window, but a window nonetheless. Maybe she could climb out it and phone her brother that she felt ill and had to go home. There was one flaw -actually a few- in that plan though Sally's was five miles away from her Chris's house and she drove with him there. Her head thumped against the door and she let out a sigh._

"_Damn.."_

_It had been at least ten minutes and everyone was probably wondering what the hell she was doing. She had turned away three women who had knocked on the door to use the restroom and she figured it was high time to leave and face the problem. What she didn't figure was a replay of what happened at Barry's house when she opened the door. Once again, she bumped into the man she had been trying to avoid and he caught her by the hips._

"_Are we going to make a habit of this?" asked Wesker with a smirk, his face far too close for Claire's comfort."I sure hope not." Claire said bitterly. She casually pushed his hands off her and made her way past him. Or at least tried to. The small hallway and the fact that he left no room for her to move past was a problem. _

"_Would you be so kind as to move?" When he gave no response, she tried to push her way past him, only to find that he was like a boulder. "Officer, I swear I will get you fired. This is ha-" Claire let out a gasp and a groan as the result of being shoved into the wall. His lips were on hers, his hands pinning her wrists to her sides, and his legs blocking her from leaving. "What the hell is wrong with you?" The heated redhead whispered as she pushed him away after he released her, she didn't get that far from him as he once again backed her into a wall, trapping her."Dear heart, I can assure you there is _nothing _wrong with me." _

_Claire put on her bravest face and replied, "Obviously there's something, cause you don't get what 'no' means."_ _A small thud was heard as Wesker leaned forward, causing the Redfield to smack her head against the wall while trying to avoid him. His face was directly in front of hers, only an inch separating them. Blue met blue as Wesker's glasses slid down his nose. Claire couldn't help but stare into the dull. ice blue orbs. They seemed to bore a hole into her skull, she felt trapped in his gaze. _

"_I don't ever recall you saying no." were his last words before he stole her lips once more._

* * *

><p>"How did you survive?" Claire asked after what seemed like ages of silence.<p>

Wesker gave her a queer look and started to walk towards her, shrugging. "You see, I do not recall what I have apparently 'survived'.." He stopped just a foot away from her and began to fondle with the chain of the swing, finding it to be the most interesting thing in the world. "I woke near a crashed aircraft next to a volcano, naked, and covered in this oily black substance. Then next thing I knew I was surrounded and being bombarded with questions by armed soldiers. They also asked me how I 'survived'. They asked a whole plethora of questions, none of which I knew the answer to. None of which I know the answer to now. You see, I do not recall anything."

Claire scoffed. "You're joking." _Of all the shit he could pull_, she thought. This was the lowest. Faking to be amnesic, _yeah right. _"So you're telling me you don't remember _anything_?"

"No. I am telling you I don't remember anything, but you."

* * *

><strong>Hah... Hello. It's been a while.. uh, so... Look a cliffhanger! Whoa, what will happen? Even <em>I<em> don't know! Seriously.. I don't.. BUT! I have an idea. Okay so I just got so bummed out I couldn't write. First the Doctor Who season finale, then the Warehouse 13 finale! Good lord, too many emotions. Well, okay, back to my story. So I would hope that all of you get the gist of the story right now.**

_Wesker: No, we don't, because your third grade writing has confused us all. One, what am I doing talking to a _Redfield_ in a park. Two, why would you get rid of memory? That's far beyond predictable. Do you think your readers at that stu-___

__Me: Shut your face before my "third grade writing" turns you into a stripper.__

__**Anyway.. Claire and Wesker had a "past" in Raccoon City, albeit not so pleasant at first. But then it turns into a more physical one, not a romantic one, no. I'll go more into that transition next chapter.**__

___Claire: No, I want out of that park! You're gonna write what the fuck he wants, then you're gonna write me going home and going to sleep in the comforting arms of my boyfriend!___

__Hah, yeah no. Wrong story chicka, you don't get your way in this.__

__LIKE I WAS SAYING... Next chapter expect:__

__**Insight on how Claire and Wesker got together, more S.T.A.R.S crazy dinners, what happened when Wesker woke up, If Chris got the fuzzy bunny slippers he asked santa for, and more!**__

__ __


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